match made in hell!
by Caspercat22
Summary: juliet is a 20 year mechanic who lost her left arm in train accident. for years she had been completely obsessed with a certain manga series untill one day, she wakes up to find herself in the room of a certain state alchemist.
1. Chapter 1

hey caspercat22 here with a brand new fic.

decided to dable a bit with fma so bear with me lol

ed: before she forgets (as always) i would like to say that caspercat22 does not own fma nor any of the characters

on with the fic

(chases ed with a mallet)

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Blake walked into the workshop late as usual. Not that anyone made a fuss about it anyway. He waved hello to his fellow mechanics and walked up to his workstation. It was then that he realised someone was missing. "Oi Mike!" he called over to the guy on the other side of the room, "you seen Juliet?" the older man nodded his head, not taking his eyes off the arm he was building, "she worked late last night. Went and fell asleep in her office again."

Blake groaned and got up out of his seat, "if you knew all that why didn't you wake her up?" Mike shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno, maybe it's because I like my limbs the way they are thanks. Besides you make her angry the most, it makes sense that we send you into the lions den." Blake grimaced and gave all the guys a dirty look, "gee thanks," he muttered sulkily, making his way up the stairs towards the dark office.

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Upon entering, the first thing that came to sight was the piles upon piles of metal, screws, tools, and sheets of oily paper that seemed to litter the place. There was almost no space to move about in for all the mess, yet bang in the middle of the room was a small desk, covered with books and papers that almost obscured a head of red hair as the young woman currently residing in the office continued to doze, using her own mechanical arm as a pillow.

"Isn't that a bit uncomfortable Jules?" groaned a voice from the door, "don't you ever go home?" Juliet rolled over and mumbled something unintelligible, her face turned away from the source of the noise. Blake sighed irritably and waded through the junk towards her desk, shaking her shoulder lightly upon reaching it.

"Blake!" grumbled a drowsy voice, "I'll give you three seconds to let go of my arm before I pummel you into next week." The tawny haired man relinquished his grip and leapt towards the safety of the doorway. "Wise choice," yawned the redhead, stretching her limbs lightly before standing up. "You might want to brush your hair, " muttered Blake from his place behind the door, "looks like a birds nest at the moment." Juliet shot him a glare, making him cower slightly before walking towards the mirror on her wall.

"So why'd you stay late this time?" he asked, still watching her from the safety of his door. The woman shrugged, pulling her long hair into a ponytail, "I was reading," she stated, moving towards her desk. "What?" asked Blake, a sly look on his face as he walked up to the desk also, spying a book laid face down near where she had been sleeping. Juliet followed his gaze to the book, "uhh nothing," she laughed, her arm shooting out to grab it, only Blake was faster.

"Ok," he smirked, turning the book over to look at its cover, "lets see exactly what this _nothing_ is." He glanced down at the page and stared at it before letting out a small snigger, which led to full blown laughter within seconds. "Ok, what's so funny?" she growled, her hands on her hips while glaring at the man before her. "I can't believe it," he gasped, wiping tears from his eyes, "you're twenty and you _still_ have a crush on that little guy?! How pathetic is that?" Juliet stared at Blake with confusion then her eyes started to narrow, an evil glint in her acid green eyes.

"Yikes!" yelped Blake as she started to walk towards him, "I uh, just remembered something downstairs!" he turned around and started to run full tilt down the stairs. Suddenly, he realised he wasn't moving and looked around to see Juliet holding his shirt in an iron like grip. "Don't hurt me!" he whimpered, his arms and legs flailing about in a sad attempt to escape. Juliet sighed and dropped him on the floor, "and you call me pathetic? Honestly!"

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"Morning Jules" waved Mike as he spotted her walking down the stairs, "have a nice sleep." The redhead turned to her old friend and smiled, "as good as anyone can when they are using a mechanical arm as a pillow and speaking of arms, how's that little project of yours going?" Mike smirked and waved the object in her face, "two legs and a head done. I've only just finished the arm," he stated.

"Aaaaaaaaah!" squealed Juliet, swiping the arm out of his hands, "its beautiful! Looks just like the real thing!" she looked up at the mechanic, "does it work?" Mike gave her a confused look and scratched the back of his neck, "well uh, it's a tiny bit difficult to get started really." Juliet rolled her eyes and groaned, "never mind, it looks good any how. Why don't you work on the other orders for a bit?" he nodded, looking a bit down that he wouldn't be able to continue working on it.

"Um Mike," she asked as she prepared to go back upstairs, "Why are you building that?" the man shrugged, pulling the order list towards him, " a simple whim, I've always wanted too anyway." Laughing quietly to herself, she continued her journey, sliding into her comfortable chair once she reached her destination.

_God I'm tired,_ she thought, rubbing her nose, _maybe I shouldn't have pulled an all nighter._ She leaned further back into her chair and yawned, "Oh well," she sighed, settling into her chair, "I can catch a couple of winks right now, the guys won't mind." Smiling happily to herself, she closed her eyes, sighing with contentment as sleep arrived almost instantly.

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Juliet opened her eyes to see a great dark doorway that seemed familiar, looming before her. She blinked once, twice and glanced around her, frowning at the lack of her office walls. "Where am I?" she growled to her self, wracking her brains, "the only thing I vaguely recognise is that big doorway…wait!" she turned back to the door and stared at it before her eyes widened.

"Oh no!" she whispered, scrambling away from the gateway, "oh HELL NO!" At that moment, the gateway swung open, shooting out a load of small black creatures that proceeded to cling onto parts of her body and drag her, ever so slowly through the doors, despite her panicked thrashing and screaming.

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"Hey Al! Wait up!" giggled Winry as she chased the boy across the fields outside her home. The boy looked back, his longish bangs sweeping into his boyish face just long enough to make her breath catch before he took of once more. "YOU TEASE!" she yelled good naturedly, shaking her fist at his retreating back before resuming the chase. After what seemed like ages, her hard work finally pulled off as Al stumbled on an invisible twig, leaving him defenceless as Winry pounced on his back, holding him down while staring victoriously into his eyes.

"You give?" she asked, leaning closer. Al smirked, his eyes glinting mischievously, "not yet!" and with a sudden movement, twisted both their bodies so that he was the one on top. Winry glared up at him sourly, her face pouting, "cheater!" Al laughed and rolled off, laying on his back beside her, "well at least I'm not as bad as Ed. he cheats at everything."

Winry sniggered happily as she remembered Al telling her of such an incident when they had played cards to pass the time while on the train. Al had lost every single game, which had been quite baffling until they got off at the station and a large amount of cards fell out his brothers red jacket. Then she remembered something else, "Al?" she asked, gaining his attention, "how is Ed nowadays? I haven't seen him since last year."

Al leaned up on his elbow and gazed down at her worried face, "he's ok, just travelling around a bit." Winry bit her lip, her eyes downcast, "I know that," she whispered, "It's just that… I miss him. I wish he'd visit more." Al smiled and lifted up her chin, "don't worry, I was talking to him the other day, he's fine, I invited him to come over for a visit tomorrow."

Winry's face lit up with delight, "really? For how long?" al shrugged, "about a week, that's all I could convince him to stay for." He looked down at his wife, a small smirk on his face, "does that put your mind at rest?" Winry pounced on Al once more, laughing happily, "Now I know why I love you so much!" she gave him a quick kiss before standing up, "I'd better go and prepare his room, we don't want…" she trailed off, staring past al's shoulder. "What?" he asked turning to see what she was staring at.

His widened as the field began to glow with an immense alchemical light, fading momentarily after, depositing something with flaming red hair. He gave Winry a confused look and walked, ever so cautiously towards the object, Winry following suite.

"A girl?" he gasped incredulously when her form came into sight, "how the hell did a girl appear out of thin air?" Winry shrugged and ducked down to her knees, checking her vital signs. "She's alive," she sighed, dropping her wrist, "Al, do you think you can carry her to the house?" Al nodded solemnly, gently scooping up the young woman and began walking in the direction of the house old Pinako had left to her granddaughter, Winry scuttling close behind.

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Ed whistled a slight tune as he walked down the path to his brother's new home, his long red coat slung over his shoulder in the afternoon sun and a serene smile on his face. In the distance, he could see a large brick house slowly creep into view and his smile grew bigger as he increased his speed in order to reach it faster.

_It's great to be home!_ He thought, racing up the steps and hammering at the door, _it's annoying how much work a state alchemist gets landed with! I'm sure that ass does it on purpose!_ The shuffling of feet dragged his attention to the door as it swiftly opened, followed closely by a large blonde object suddenly hurling itself into his arms, knocking him off balance with a frenzied, "ED!!!!!!!!"

Ed smiled happily as he hugged Winry back, patting her on the head, "nice to see you too, at least you don't have a wrench this time!" the blonde laughed happily before pulling herself off the ground, "well, you haven't broken your auto mail this time," her eyes narrowed dangerously at this and ed blanched as he saw a flash of silver in her pocket, "have you?"

"Nope, still how you left it!!" he answered quickly, rolling up his sleeve to prove it. Winry nodded happily and gestured for him to follow her into the house. Within minutes of entering, Ed was once again nearly bawled over as Al barrelled his way towards him, throwing his arms around him. "Brother!!!" he yelled, releasing him from his death grip, "your early?"

Ed nodded happily, picking up his suitcase, "I finished my mission early so I decided to set off as soon as I got your invite." He started towards the staircase, his luggage in his hands, "I'll just put my things in my room then," he shouted, walking up the steps. Winry nodded before remembering something, "hey Ed!" she called, but he was already stood in the doorway, his hand fumbling at the light switch. Winry looked at Al with dread, counting down the seconds before….

"WHAT THE HELL?!" yelled Ed, his eyes fixed incredulously on the sleeping form that was currently sprawled out in _his_ bed, her mouth wide open with drool dripping all over _his _pillow, while her right leg was hooked around _his _quilt. It didn't matter that she incredibly pretty with her red hair, or that fact that she looked incredibly pale. All that mattered was the fact that his personal space had been invaded and by a _girl_ no less. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!" He turned to stomp down the stairs when a groan met his ears. He looked towards the sleeping form and watched as she slowly began to wake up.

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"Who's the foghorn?" grumbled Juliet as she pushed herself up from the bed, massaging her face, "Yeesh, I feel like I'm having a hangover." She pulled away her hands and swung her legs over the side of the bed looking around for the first time. _Oh great!_ She groaned, once again not recognizing her surroundings, _just peachy!_ She pouted unhappily, looking around at the simple layout of the room. She glanced towards the doorway, her eyes landing on the form there only for a few seconds before it moved on. That is, until her she realised who exactly it was.

She turned back towards him and just stared, her eyes trailing from his golden bangs right down to his crimson lined boots. She looked towards his face again, her jaw almost down to the floor as she recognised the questioning golden eyes. "W...what the FUCK?" she yelled pointing a finger at the blonde man before her, "how the hell do you look so much like…like Ed?" the man jumped with shock, "HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW MY NAME?!" he growled, striding towards the bed, his eyes narrowed.

Juliet looked at him in awe, "a…are you saying…OH MY GOD!!!!!" she squealed launching herself onto the terrified alchemist, "MY DREAM COME TRUE!!!" Ed gave her a horrified glance as he threw her onto the floor and darted out of the room, sealing the door shut with alchemy. Juliet got up, huffing indignantly at the rough treatment before stepping towards the door, pounding on it when she realised that it was jammed, "hey!" she called, her fists hammering on the wood, "open up!!! COME ON!!! LET ME OUT!!!"

Ed leaned against the other side, wincing at the vibrations, "I'm not letting you out!" the pounding, "whyyyyyyyyy?" wined the girl from the other side, "come on! Don't be an ass!" Ed shook his head even though she couldn't see it, "do you think I'm stupid? You'll only jump on me again!!" the pounding began with renewed force, "THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT YOU STUPID DIMENSIONALLY CHALLENGED JERK!!!" Ed pounded back on the door, " HOW CAN YOU CALL THAT AN ACCIDENT? AND I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW YOU'RE SHORTER THAN ME!!"

"What's going on here?" asked Winry, standing behind him with her hands on her hips, her eyes flicking from the door to Ed, "well?" Simultaneously, both perpetrators yelled out, "HE/SHE STARTED IT!" Winry glared, "I don't want to know who started it, I want to know what all the fuss is about!"

Ed pointed angrily at the door, " how the HELL did THAT get in MY room!?"

Winry looked from Ed to the door, "oh you mean she's awake?" Ed gave her an incredulous look, "OF COURSE SHE'S BLOODY AWAKE!!!! THE FIRST THING SHE DID WAS JUMP ON ME!!!!!" Winry smirked jokingly at him, "ooooooh, didn't know you had it in you." The blonde alchemist was beside himself, "STOP TEASING ME AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS NUTCASE!!!!"

"That's going to be a tinsy bit difficult," sighed Winry, eyeing the door. Ed looked sideways at her, "why…OUCH!" he rubbed his head at the mark where he had been hit by a spanner. "YOU SEALED IT SHUT YOU IDIOT!!!!!" he gave her a grudging look, "it was to make sure she didn't pounce on me again!" Winry gave him a withering look, "don't be an idiot, fix it!" Ed gave her a pleading look, "NOW!!!!"

Not wanting another taste of her spanner, Ed quickly clapped his hands together and returned it to normal, darting behind Winry as soon as the job was done. After shaking her head at him in exasperation, Winry stepped into the room, concern on her face, "how are you feeling?" Juliet rubbed the back or her head, "a bit of a headache but otherwise," she frowned, "hey, do you mind telling me what I'm doing here?"

Winry nodded, "we found you past out in the middle of one of our fields after we saw a huge flash of light. My husband, Al, carried you up here." Juliet's eyes nearly popped out of her head, "you mean, you married Alphonse? Damn, and I thought for certain you and Ed would get together." She glanced towards the other too and blinked at their look of confusion. "What makes you say that?" asked Winry with interest, Ed just glared at her suspiciously, his face tinged slightly red, "yeah and how did you know his full name?"

Juliet stood still biting her lip, _now you've done it girl! How ya gonna explain this?_ "Umm…I guessed? And you two do look kinda chummy." _Smooth._ She could Ed didn't believe her, the way his glare intensified told her so. Winry on the other hand bought it hook, line and sinker. "A common misconception," she giggled, "we're just good friends. My names Winry Elric," she held out her hand, which Juliet swiftly took.

"Juliet Henderson," she replied, shaking the hand before dropping it, "but I like everyone to call me Jules." Winry smiled, "that's a nice name," she gestured over to Ed, "this is my brother in law, Edward Elric, the famous fullmetal alchemist." _So I was right!_ Thought Juliet, _he is Ed! How the heck did I get into his world?_

"Jules? Juliet?" called Winry, waving a hand in front of her face. Jules shook her head dizzily before answering with an intelligent, "huh?" the blonde laughed slightly, "boy you seem out of it! I asked if you were hungry?" a loud groaning sound coming from the red-heads stomach answered the question, leaving said person looking down with embarrassment. Winry laughed and turned to leave gesturing for bother and Ed to follow.

Juliet smiled gratefully and went to head out the room but stopped when she noticed Ed was stood in front of the door, blocking her exit. "Do you mind?" she asked politely, folding her arms. Ed glared at her, "yes I do," he snarled, "just who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"

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all done! that was a long one eh? hopefully the others will be the same. please review! thanks!!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

hello caspercat22 here!

i have another chappie here for you lol

i hope its as good as the last cuz it's certainly longer.

this one was nearly 9 pages long!!!! (wipes of a bead of sweat)

anyway, i'd like to thank my reveiwers, without you, this chapter probaly would never have been written (throws roses to reveiwers)

so, now ont the part all us fanfic authors hate (groans) DISCLAIMER TIME!!!! take it away Ed!

Ed: caspercat22 does not own fma or any of the characters recognisable from the anime or manga in question.

oooh! that sounded really smart ed! (looks at him with starry eyes)

Ed: shit! (takes off running)

enjoy the fic (runs after ed)

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_Juliet smiled gratefully and went to head out the room but stopped when she noticed Ed was stood in front of the door, blocking her exit. "Do you mind?" she asked politely, folding her arms. Ed glared at her, "yes I do," he snarled, "just who the hell are you and what are you doing here?"_

Juliet blinked at him in confusion, "what do you mean who am I? I thought that I'd just-" "I already know who you say you are!" he growled suspiciously, waving away her answer, "although I have my doubts." Juliet frowned at him, her hands dropping to her sides, "are you saying…that I _lied_?" she asked quietly, her eyes fixed on Ed.

The blonde shrugged, his eyes never leaving her face, "you tell me!" he said nonchalantly, stepping forward, "in fact, why don't you tell me how you knew my name while your at it!" Juliet was getting pissed, her hands gripping her legs in anger, "I'll have you know that I never lie! My name _is_ Juliet Henderson. As for knowing your name, it just slipped out, you look like someone I know that's all"

Ed watched her for a second; thinking over what she had just said, "okay," he muttered, "Just say that I believe you, which I don't! It still doesn't eliminate the fact that you knew my brothers name, or how you knew about my fee-" he stopped abruptly, his face pink. Juliet held back a giggle, her eyes fixed on the blushing alchemist. "So you did have a thing for Winry!" she chuckled, "must have been hard for you when you found out she liked your brother better."

Ed went pinker still, his eyes glaring at her, "that's non of your business!" he growled, "You still haven't answered my question what you're doing here!" Juliet thought for a moment. _What _am_ I doing here?_ She looked at Ed, her eyebrows raised, "frankly," she stated, "I have no idea. All I know is that this great big black door appeared out of nowhere and-" "did you just say door?" Ed interrupted, grabbing her shoulders, "a huge black door?" Jules looked at him curiously before nodding, " yeah, I think it was that door which leads to all truths or something."

"But the only way to see it is to…" his eyes grew wide as he spotted the mechanical arm, "did you…did you attempt…" he trailed off, his eyes fixed sympathetically on her arm. "Oh no!" laughed Jules, holding up both hands while shaking her head vividly, "I'm not even an alchemist so there's no way I could do something as complicated as human transmutation!" Ed stared at her, "not an alchemist? Then how the hell did you call it?" Juliet shrugged once more, "I dunno, it just appeared when I fell asleep."

Ed sweat-dropped, "IT JUST _APPEARED_?!!" he yelled incredulously, " THE GATE DOESN'T JUST APPEAR! YOU'RE LYING!!!!" Juliet rolled her eyes and groaned, "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm _not_ lying! I never do! The gate just appeared in front of me and dragged me in! it didn't even leave me a scratch!" She glanced towards Ed and nearly screamed in frustration at the sceptical look he shot her, "I am telling the truth you know." He grunted once, waving his hand dismissively before turning to walk out the room.

Suddenly he stopped and turned towards her, "I will find out sooner or later," he stated, his beautiful molten gold orbs fixed on hers, causing unknown shivers to trickle down her spine, "you can definitely count on that!" and with that he was gone, leaving Jules standing there, her heart pounding so fast that it felt as though it run a marathon and win by a landslide. _Now I know why I liked him so much,_ she thought as she walked slowly down the stairs, _his eyes…so…enchanting…_

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"Where's ed?" asked Winry as chopped up vegetables for lunch. Al looked up from his paper, placing the pen on the table, "I don't know, haven't seen him since he arrived half an hour ago." Winry sniggered slightly, placing carrots into the pot, "knowing him, he's probably out somewhere kissing Jules."

Al spat out his tea, his wide eyes staring Winry's now shaking back, "K…K…KISSING?!" Winry looked at him over her shoulder, a wide grin spread across her features, "I'm only joking!" she laughed, watching him glare at her and mop up the spilt tea, " from the way they greeted each other, I doubt they're even friends."

"Don't scare me like that!" growled Al, throwing the wet paper into the bin, "Ed never kisses girls!" Winry sent him a withering look, "you do realise how childish that sounded, right?" Al stuck out his tongue and pulled her onto his lap, "so what?" Winry looked at him lovingly for a moment and then pulled herself out his grasp, "I've got to cook dinner." Al looked her up and down grinning, "never thought you'd be the housewife type." Winry sighed from her chopping board, giving her toolbox a longing glance, "Neither did I!"

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Half an hour later, the smell of freshly cooked beef stew was wafting through the house. As usual, Winry barely had time to place the food into dishes before three hungry people came wandering into the dining room, two of which (ed and Jules) were glaring at their plates with almost predator-like expressions.

She exchanged a look with Al as they both took their seats, carefully placing a bowl of bread into the centre of the table. Once everyone was seated, Ed wasted no time in shovelling spoonful after spoonful into his mouth, completely ignoring the fact that bits of food was being projected towards his neighbour.

Jules was no different, apart from shooting Ed disgusted looks, she was digging into her food with an intensity that rivalled her companion's. Within minutes both had completely emptied their bowl and with precise timing, held out their dishes towards their cook, both chiming out, "more please!"

Ed turned towards Jules and glared at her, while Jules did the same. "Why'd you say the same as me?" they both growled, dropping the bowl at the same time and pointing an accusing finger at the other. "I asked you first!" they yelled in unison, standing up from the table. Both were by now getting very confused, which only made them angrier. "STOP COPYING WHAT I'M SAYING!!" they yelled, arms flailing about in irritation before both turned in the opposite direction, sulking.

"Amazing," chuckled Winry, her eyes darting from one to the other, "they're both saying the same thing! Just like an old married cou-" "DON'T EVEN BOTHER!!!" they growled, their anger now directed at her. Even Al was finding this funny, _boy if mustang could see this now_! He thought as both of them sat back down to eat the newly refilled food Winry had set before them, all the while shooting the other an evil glare. Suddenly an idea appeared in his mind. He smiled softly and after informing winry that he was off to make a phone call, he excused himself from the table.

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An hour later, each person had gone off on some errand. Winry had finally spotted Juliet's mechanical arm and in the frenzy she always had around automail, she had dragged the protesting Jules away, a decidedly evil look on her face at the prospect of inspecting a new brand. Al had wandered into his study to prepare for his state exam. He had decided that year to join the military, despite Winry's protests.

Ed on the other hand was sat in the garden, in the branches of a tall oak. His were eyes fixed on the setting sun far off in the distance as it lit up the sky in reds and golds. He was often found here during his rare visits to see his brother. It was a place he felt safe and tranquil, with no intrusion to his thoughts other than the odd birdsong or the whistling breeze.

Almost instinctively, his eyes flickered to a distant hill only just visible from his perch, closing with pain as the fell upon the ever fading remains of his childhood home. It was always like this, whenever he came back to Resembool. He would always seclude himself in the tree, his face creased slightly as he continued to think of old times, times when he and his brother still had their innocence and ran riot throughout the town, happy smiles pasted as if permanently on their faces.

Times when they still had a mother to care for them, to play the occasional game with them, to applaud them at a new triumph and to sing to them in a soft, wonderful voice that always eased them gently into slumber. It always hurt when he remembered finding her there, lying on the floor with her face so pale. It hurt even more to remember the agonizing wrench in his chest that he felt, the instant her hand released its grip on theirs.

But what made it far more worse were the memories of that horrible night when both he and Al had tried the forbidden art, human transmutation. They were willing to risk everything, if only they could see her smile again, see her breathe and hear her laugh once more at their antics. They slaved for days on that formula, only to have it backfire, taking Ed's leg and al's whole body while leaving behind a hideous shell of a creature for their efforts

Ed blamed himself for what had happened to Al that night. Al had protested against the idea ever since Ed first set it to him. He had tried and tried to make him see that it was too dangerous. Even their old teacher had tried to knock some sense into them. But Ed didn't listen, no, he _refused_ to listen. He was so filled with grief; so desperate to see her again that his mind wouldn't allow him to listen to reason or allow him to realise the unnecessary danger he was putting his only family in.

He breathed deeply, closing his eyes once more as a soft summer breeze swept across his face, playing softly with his bangs so that they flickered in and out of view. Sighing peacefully, Ed began to sing in a clear voice that resonated across the valley, soft and mellow, causing all that heard it to stop whatever they were doing and listen.

"How can I repay you brother mine?  
How can I expect you to forgive?  
Clinging to the past I shed our blood,  
and shattered your chance to live.

Though I knew the laws I paid no heed.  
How can I return your wasted breath?  
What I did not know has cost you dear,  
for there is no cure for death.

Beautiful mother, soft and sweet  
Once you were gone we were not complete.  
Back through the years we reached for you.  
Alas, t'was not meant to be.  
And how can I make amends,  
for all that I took from you?  
I lead you with hopeless dreams.  
My brother I was a fool."

Meanwhile, somewhere inside the house. Two young women were sat in absolute silence, all previous activities forgotten at the beauty of the song that was slowly drifting slowly through the room. There was so much feeling in those words; even Juliet was fighting back tears at what Ed was saying. She looked towards Winry and smiled at the similar expression on her face, the only difference was that she allowed the tears to slowly trickle down her cheeks.

In the study, Al glanced up from his books and looked towards the garden at the sound of singing. Quietly he placed the book down onto the desk, marking the page he was on before he stepped towards the garden, his eyes saddened at the sight of his brother's desolate expression as he stared into the horizon. Silently, he listened to the words, frowning for a while after his brother stopped singing, before he himself stepped forward, his own voice ringing through the hills, catching his brothers attention for the first time.

"Don't cry for the past now brother mine,  
neither you nor I are free from blame.  
Nothing can erase the things we did,  
for the path we took was the same.

Beautiful mother, soft and sweet  
Once you were gone we were not complete.  
Back through the years we reached for you.  
Alas, twas not meant to be.  
My dreams made me blind and mute,  
I longed to return to that time,  
I followed without a word.  
My brother the fault is mine."

Ed stared at all for a moment before a wan smile spread across his lips at the sound of Al's voice. It was sweet and innocent, like a child's. He hummed to the tune softy as he continued to listen, the smile growing slowly as his mood increased before he fell into song along side him.

"So where do we go from here?  
And how to forget and forgive?  
What's gone is forever lost.  
Now all we can do is live."

As the last sounds of the melody faded into the breeze, both brothers fell into a comfortable silence, turning to watch as the last rays of the sun blinked out over the horizon, leaving a soft, deep purple sky behind that seemed to extinguish all previous insecurities.

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"Damn I'm beat!" yawned Ed for the hundredth time that minute. Jules glanced sideways at him, nodding in agreement slightly but not voicing her opinion. To be honest, he was really getting on her nerves. Al smiled at her, noticing that she was becoming increasingly irritated, shooting the odd glare in the direction of a certain alchemist. He slowly withdrew an old pocket watch from his trousers and looked down at it, grimacing at the time. "It is getting late," he sighed, looking towards Winry, "I think we should try and find somewhere for our unexpected guest to stay."

"You're right," agreed Winry, "we should find her somewhere to stay, but we haven't got a spare room…" she looked thoughtful for a moment until her yes fell onto Ed and Jules. He face cracked into an evil looking smile as she turned to face her husband, her face cracked into an evil looking smile. Al sweat-dropped when he spotted her, a familiar sense of foreboding curling it's way through his gut.

"Hey Aaaaaaaaal…" she said in the sweetest voice possible, using puppy dog eyes to full effect, "what would you say if I-" "no!" he cut in sharply, trying his best to ignore the cute look on her face, "don't even consider it Winry!" She pouted grumpily, her arms crossed, "why not?" she whined, taking care that the other two didn't hear, "It's my house! I can place her wherever I want!"

Al groaned and rubbed his face, "Winry, it's my home too! I don't want them to keep me awake all night!" Winry's face split into a grin, "ooh Al, never knew you had such dirty mind! Tut, tut, tut!" Al looked horrified, his face tinged crimson, "I...I...I didn't mean _that_! What I meant was that they would be arguing constantly if you do what I know you're thinking!"

Winry waved a hand in his direction, "no they won't!" she laughed. Al grunted and looked away, "ok, if you want to take the risk then fine! But don't blame me if they blow up in your face!" Winry squealed in delight and gave Al a monster of a hug, "EEEEEEEE!!!! This is gonna be fun!" Al watched her bound across the room, his sense of foreboding now even more prominent.

Further away from the pair, the air around Juliet and Ed was slowly becoming more tense. Juliet visibly looked as though she was going to sink her fist into Ed's face at any moment as he continued to groan about how tired he was. She was certain he was doing it on purpose, that was obvious due to the sneaky glance he shot her every so often.

He did it again, glancing her direction before slowly stretching out his arms and yawning over dramatically, "I'm so sleep-OOMF!! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!!!" he yelled indignantly, tossing the pillow that had been thrown his way by a very pissed off redhead. Juliet glared at him, dodging the pillow, "it was for being irritating, and locking me in that room earlier, shorty!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL AN ANT CAN STEP ON HIM?!!!! I'M TALLER THAN YOU!!" blew up Ed, his arms and legs flailing about in the usual tantrum. Juliet glared at him, "you're taller? I'm 5ft 3inches thank you very much!"

"I'm still taller! My heights 5ft 4in! HA!!" crowed Ed victoriously. "Ed, you know very well that includes the height of your elevator shoes and that antennae on your head!" called Al, "his real height is-"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT AL!!!" he warned, shaking his fist at his so-called brother. "5 foot 1 1/2 inches!" called a voice from beside him, "his shoes add an inch to his height while the antennae adds 1 ½ inches."

"ARGH DAMN YOU WINRY!!" whined Ed, "but shes the same! Look at the size of her shoes!" Juliet glanced down at her shoes, "true, but I've not been measured with out them for a while." Winry steeped forward, whipping out a tape measure from nowhere, "allow me! Ed hold this on the floor for me!" ed grumbled angrily, only doing it because he had seen the spanner in his friends pocket.

"Ok," sighed Winry, marking the height with her thumb, "you are 5ft 1/2in…HOLY CRAP!!!!" she stared at the figures disbelievingly. Juliet's eyes turned to dinner plates as she pulled the tape measure towards. "No way!!" she gasped, "this is not possible!" she turned towards Ed who was dancing around stupidly. "Oh yeah!" he yelled, punching air, "I'm taller1 I'm taller!!!"

Winry sweat-dropped as she watched him, "umm ed, it's only an inch…" ed ignored her, currently doing the moonwalk while still chanting. "Moron…" she muttered before turning to Juliet, "So, have you got anywhere to stay tonight?" Jules shook her head, her eyes on the prancing alchemist, "nope." Winry began to smirk "oh really?" she asked, feigning innocence, "then why don't you stay here? We don't have a spare room so why don't you share Ed's?"

Ed stopped dancing the moment he heard this and rounded on Winry, his eyes glinting. "She is NOT sharing MY room!" he growled, his teeth looking sharper than usual, "make her sleep on the couch!" Winry glared at him, "I am not making a guest sleep on the couch! If you don't want to share then tough, you sleep on the couch!"

"I DON'T WANNA!" bawled Ed, "the couch is uncomfortable and has springs popping out all over the place!"

"Well share the room!"

"No!"

"Why the hell not?"

"It only has one bed!"

"It's a double, share it!"

"**HELL NO!!!**" yelled both Juliet and Ed, looking as horrified as the other. "Sleep on the floor then!" stated Winry, looking at Ed, "be a gentle man a give up the bed to Jules."

"I'm no gentleman!" grouched Ed, "all I want is my nice soft bed! TO MYSELF!!!"

"Well you're not going to get it!" snarled Winry, "it's my house and what ever I say goes! You're sharing!"

"Aaaaaaaaal?" whined Ed, peering watery eyed at his brother. Al looked from Ed to Winry, gulping when his wife brandished a wrench at him. Luckily at that time the doorbell rang and al made haste to answer it, thanking his lucky stars that he didn't have to answer Ed. Winry shook her head at Al before turning back to the other two, slapping the wrench against her palms as she did, "now, where were we?"

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Al took his time to get to the door, in absolutely no hurry to return to the living room that was now filled with yells and running feet as Winry began to chase them around the room, yelling that she would continue to do so until they agreed. However, the person at the door was obviously not very patient, due to the now persistent banging and grumbling from the other side.

"You can stop knocking now!" called al, opening the door only to have a very unhappy colonel fall onto the rug. "I did tell you to stop!" he sighed, helping the man up. Roy huffed angrily, rubbing pulling off a drenched raincoat; "well I couldn't hear you through all that racket in there. What's happening anyway?"

"Winry's trying to get Ed and Jules to agree to one of her hair brained schemes," sighed al, leading the way to the living room "I left to answer the door just as they tried to get me involved." Roy looked intrigued, "Jules? Is she the one you were telling me about? Juliet Henderson was it?" Al nodded, "yeah, but she prefers to be called Jules. She's a nice girl, quiet really, unless she's arguing with Ed."

"Heh," laughed Roy, "she sounds perfect for him." Al looked up at Roy, a smile on his childish features, "yeah, that's what Winry seems to think, hence the hair brained schemes to set them up." He stopped outside the door, his eyes fixed warily at the entrance. _It seems awfully quiet in there…_he thought suspiciously, _what's Winry done now? _Drawing a deep breath, he slowly pushed open the door, blinking in surprise when he noticed that Winry was alone, reading a book called 'automail around the world'.

"Winry, where are Ed and Jules?" he asked, looking around the room. Winry looked up from her book, "hmm? Ed and Jules? Ooh! I sent them upstairs to bed." At that time a loud bang could be heard from upstairs along with the yell of "HEY THAT HURT!!!"

"WELL YOU SHOULDN'T BE WATCHING WHILE I UNDRESS! YOU PERVERT!!"

Roy sniggered, lifting his hand to his face. "You sent Fullmetal to bed?" he spluttered, "hahaha! Wait till the guys at work here about this!" Roy swept her a bow, "greetings fair Winry!" he mocked, a childish twinkle in his eye. Winry glanced at Roy for the first time. "Hello Roy!" she said boredly, returning her gaze to the book in her hand. Roy looked deflated at her reaction and sat down on a chair, sulking until he remembered what he had come for.

"So," he asked, crossing his legs while observing al and Winry, "about this Juliet, What exactly is unusual about her?" Winry thought for a moment, "well," she began slowly, " the thing is, while we were in our field, she appeared out of thin air in a flash of reddish light. Not only that, her right arm is automail."

"But that's not at all unusual," stated Roy, "hundreds of people have automail limbs nowadays!" the blonde shook her head, "not like this they don't," she held up the book in her hands, "I've searched through every book on automail I have! Her's is like none I have ever seen before. It doesn't even look like automail from other country's either." Al took this as a chance to cut in, "but that's not the reason I called you Roy, that light she appeared in…"

"What about it?" asked the colonel, his eyes on al. al glanced towards Winry before continuing, "it was light from a transmutation. One that involves the gate." Roy turned pale, "WHAT!" he cried, standing up from his seat.

* * *

well, its that time of the day again. i hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it wasn't a nine page bore.

i would really apreciate it if you'd reveiw and tell me what you think. if so, i'll be forever gratefull!

thanks a bunch for reading! see ya next chappie


	3. Chapter 3

guess who? thats write its me! caspercat22!!

i have yet anothe long chapter for you, hopefully not a boring one lol

i'd like to thank my reviewers,

KobrahEdo: yeah lol, forgot to put disclaimer up for that lol.

Wench -- Whench: lol that height was including his shoes and antanae, they say so in the manga lol, i just deducted of it. also, heres the chapter youve been waiting so 'paitently' for lo. hope its up to scratch.

GummyBlove: heres what you asked for, hope you like it lol, and im glad your enjoying the story so far.

its so good to have fans! any way, heres this weeks disclaimer, take it way ed...

Ed: caspercat22 does not own fma, nor any characters or names that are linked to it. she only owns jules. and we can thank our lucky stars for that!!

(glares at ed) what was that supposed to mean?

ed: (sweatdrops) urr umm...ON WITH THE FIC!! (runs away ducking random objects)

* * *

"_But that's not at all unusual," stated Roy, "hundreds of people have automail limbs nowadays!" the blonde shook her head, "not like this they don't," she held up the book in her hands, "I've searched through every book on automail I have! Her's is like none I have ever seen before. It doesn't even look like automail from other country's either." Al took this as a chance to cut in, "but that's not the reason I called you Roy, that light she appeared in…"_

"What about it?" asked the colonel, his eyes on Al. Al glanced towards Winry before continuing, "it was light from a transmutation. One that involves the gate." Roy turned pale, "what!" he cried, standing up from his seat

"That's what I thought!" sighed Al, rubbing his neck softly, "it seems almost too unusual to be true, but I've got the sneaky suspicion that she might be from beyond the gate." Roy blinked confusedly at the young man before reclaiming his seat. "A girl from the other side?" he breathed, staring disbelievingly at Alphonse, his eyes still wide, "are you sure?"

"As sure as I can be in the circumstances," replied Al, "there's no real way we can tell for certain." Roy sighed and placed a hand on his face. "What does this mean?" he asked quietly, "this hasn't been heard of before. What if she isn't even human? What if she's a product of some idiots failed attempt at human transmutation?" Winry gasped quietly, her hand flying to her mouth while Al's eyes took on a serious look, "you think she's a homunculus?"

Roy sat in silence, his eyes fixed dead ahead in thought. "I don't know, I haven't seen her yet." he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "you do realise that she's going to have to return to the military with me. Something like this cant be ignored. There's a possibility that her coming here means a defect in the gate. We need to investigate this." He glanced nervously towards Al and Winry, loosening the collar of his uniform. "This also means that I'm going to have to cut Fullmetal's vacation time short."

"WHAT!!" they yelled, glaring at Mustang, "he only just got here! You can't just order him to go back to work like that!" Roy ran a weary hand through his hair, "look I know how you feel about th-" "TO HELL YOU DO!!" cut in Winry, now abandoning the chair with her fists clenched at her sides, "WE RARELY SEE ED AS IT IS AND JUST WHEN WE THINK HE'S HOME, EVEN IF ITS ONLY A WEEK, YOU COME MARCHING OVER HERE SAYING HE HAS TO GO RIGHT BACK!!!" Al tugged desperately on her sleeve, trying to get her to sit back down.

"Winry calm down!" he pleaded. His wife glared at him, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" she snarled before turning back to Mustang, "WHA T ON EARTH IS SO IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE TO PULL HIM AWAY FROM US SO SOON??"

"Simple," answered Roy, his eyes fixed on Winry, "out of all our state alchemists, he's the only one who has extensive knowledge of the gate. His help would be invaluable to us in order to find the truth about this girl. I never planned this you know! The last thing I wanted was to take away his holiday time, heck if anything I think he needs it." Al nodded in understanding while Winry just stood there, a tear trickling down her eyes. "Get out…" she snarled, pointing to the door, "now!" Roy glanced hesitantly up at Winry, "Winry I-" "DON'T YOU WINRY ME!!! OUT!!!" she angrily threw her automail book, missing his head by mere inches, "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!!"

Roy scrambled out his chair, ducking flying objects every now and then, curtesey of a hopping mad Winry. "WAAAAH-" THUMP!!! All movement stopped as each person turned to blink up at the ceiling. _What are they up to…_thought Winry as she barged past Roy, taking small delight in knocking him over in her haste.

Roy pulled himself up off the floor, his aura pulsing with irritation. He looked sideways towards Al and was surprised to see the younger man edging his way towards the door in order to follow his wife. Sighing quietly, Mustang smoothed down his clothes, also heading to the stairs, having the strangest feeling that whatever they were about to find would instantly lift their spirits.

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Ed growled and cursed with every step they took upstairs, his eyes burning a hole in the stairs before him. _It's all her fault! _His mind snarled, _I'd have my room all to myself it weren't for her!! And Mustang wonders why I don't go on dates, peh!_ He stomped the rest of the way up, gnashing his teeth as he did so, muttering darkly about how stupid this is.

Having finally reached the door, Ed wrenched it open, still angry about sharing his room. Still seething, he stomped inside, stopping instantly when his eyes fell on a sight that he though would be burned into his memory forever. Before him, a foot or so from the bed was Juliet in the process of getting undressed. He knew it was wrong to watch but he couldn't bring himself to move, a crimson blush creeping ever so slowly up his boyish features.

She looked beautiful, despite the glittering metal of her automail. She had a perfect hourglass figure; shown easily through the top she was wearing under her overalls. _Damn! _He thought, his eyes trailing from her long silky red curls to her small waist, _she's unbelievably…wow! …wait am I thinking? She's an annoyance dammit! Nothing more_. He shook his head in order to clear it and looked up again, his eyes once again being drawn to the woman before him, _oh god! What a perfect body…SNAP OUT OF IT!!!_

Finally he found the courage to leave the room and started to reach blindly towards the handle, his eyes still fixed Juliet. He winced as his hand fumbled the attempt to grab the handle, sliding of it with a loud click that drew the unwanted attention of his roommate.

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Juliet stiffened visibly at the sound, her face creased in a frown, _that had better not be who I think it is,_ she thought while turning to face the intruder. Her fears were answered as her sharp green eyes fell on a pair of terrified gold ones. The poor guy looked both horrified and amazed, his mouth wide open and his face a startling shad of red. "_Edward…_" she snarled, grabbing her shoe and lobbing it in the direction of the perpetrator, causing the young man to fall on his behind with a satisfying thump, a huge red mark slowly making itself known on his temple.

"HEY THAT HURT!!!" yelled Ed, his hand massaging his wound as he glared up at the infuriated redhead. "WELL YOU SHOULDN'T BE WATCHING WHILE I UNDRESS! YOU PERVERT!!" she growled, holding up the other shoe. Ed shrank away from her, his face was a picture of horror, "how was I supposed to know that you were already getting undressed? And I'm _not _a pervert!"

Jules lowered her shoe, her eyes still trained on the shuddering young man, "yeah and I'm the queen of Sheba… and as for the undressing incident, you could have always knocked, I'm mean, you knew we were sharing didn't you?"

Ed coloured up even more as he slapped a palm against his face. _Why didn't _I _think of that before barging in? _He thought, groaning slightly at the twinge the slap had inflicted. Juliet raised an inquisitive eyebrow at his action before resuming her pose, shooting ed a glare over her shoulder that clearly screamed 'now get out while I finish changing or _else_!' ed hastened to obey, sweat-drops rolling off his forehead as he did so. _Note to self, _he thought, stripping down to his underpants and tank top in the bathroom, _never piss off women with hard objects near by._

Five minutes later, he headed back towards the door, this time remembering to knock first. "Come in," came the voice from inside. Ed twisted the handle forcibly, his temper rising slightly at having to ask permission to enter his own room. He looked towards the speaker and withheld a sigh of relief to see that she was now wearing a set of pyjamas she had borrowed from Winry.

Juliet stared as he walked in, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets at the sight of his body. _Am I in heaven or what? _Her mind gasped, taking in his lightly tanned skin and well formed muscles, _if I wasn't angry at him right now I'd pounce on him right here and-whoa, whoa, whoa!! What the? This guy was perving on me! He's far from hot!_ But still, she could barely control the urge to drool as her eyes drunk in his form. "Now who's the pervert?" asked Ed, sending a cynical glance her way

After a short glaring contest, both looked imploringly towards the bed before returning their gaze to the other. Ed shrugged his shoulders solemnly before striding over to it, swinging his legs over onto the quilt, "I dibbs the bed, you get the floor." He smirked triumphantly at Jules, folding his arms behind his head while he watched her scowl in rage.

_Why'd they have to make him so damn cute when he's cocky!! _She inwardly fumed, sending daggers at said alchemist before realising what thought had crossed her mind, _did I just say cute? I meant conniving…yeah…now what to do about the bed?_ Suddenly her face split into an evil smile as she turned towards Ed, _hehehe this is gonna be good, _she cackled inwardly, turning slowly towards the alchemist "Ooooooh edooo…" she cooed quietly, giving him her best seductive look, "do you think you could scooch over a smidge for little ol' me?"

"No." he answered flatly, a wide smirk on his face, "and your seduction tricks don't work on me." Jules pretended to pout, batting her eyelids imploringly, "are you sure?" she whimpered, leaning closer, "cuz' Winry said that we were to share, I think that she'd be pretty upset if you didn't listen to what she says."

Ed's smirk fell off his face, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he recognised the hidden tone. "Are you threatening me?" he growled, glaring at the woman before him who was examining her nails. "You could say that," she smirked, side glancing towards him, "I mean, what would Winry do if she heard that instead of being a gentleman and letting a lady have the bed, you went along and forced her to sleep on the floor! Tut, tut, tut, disgraceful!"

The blonde turned pale, his normal hand reaching unbidden towards his sore temple at the thought of Winry's vengeance. He shot Jules a sour look before shuffling over to the left, grumbling as he did so. _Damn women always playin dirty,_ he thought, crossing his arms in a huff.

Juliet rolled her eyes irritably and laid herself down on the bed while making sure a substantial distance between her and Ed. She shivered slightly, tugging the quilt over her shoulders in order to stay a little bit warmer. This action earned her a grunt from Ed as he tugged the quilt back, his face set in a frown. "Oi! We've got to share that you know!" growled Juliet, yanking the quilt back over to her side. "I know that!" snarled Ed, snatching it back, "you're just hogging all the covers!"

"ME?! I wouldn't have to do that if you hadn't cocooned yourself in it shorty!" she growled, once again reclaiming the cover. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD STAND IN THE EYE OF A NEEDLE?!" yelped Ed, scrambling at the quilt in order to refrain from hitting Jules. Snarling angrily at each other, both started tugging at the same time, growling out insults every now and then with faces red from the effort.

"Look give it up already," hissed Ed, his hand clasped tightly over the quilt, "it's my room and is say I get the quilt!" Juliet sent Ed daggers, her hands also entwined around an end of the quilt. "Oh just shut up!" she snarled, yanking the cover towards her with more force than was needed, causing her to fall off the bed and pull the pillows, quilt and Ed along with her.

"WAAAAH-" THUMP!!! Ed blushed for the third time that night, his golden eyes staring down into a pair of confused emerald ones. One thing for sure, this wasn't working out to be his day. First he comes home after not seeing his family for almost a year and discovers a strange woman fast asleep in his bed, then he gets threatened into sharing it with her, and now here he was, on top of her in very awkward position. _What did I ever do to deserve this?_

Juliet blinked up at him, almost blushing herself when she realised the situation. _I wonder what the fan girls back home would do if they me like this, _she chuckled inwardly, hoping that the blush would continue to stay at bay, _I'd probably get slaughtered in my sleep._ He looked so bemused and cute, the crimson of his cheeks standing out like a beacon compared to his hair. She felt her breath get heavier the longer her eyes stayed on his face. He was so beautiful, even if he was blushing. Her cheeks began to feel warm as redness began to creep up her face, contrasting comically with her fiery locks.

Ed continued to stare at her, an arm at either side of her body to hold himself up. _I guess she is kinda pretty…_he thought, his face going even brighter as he felt his arms giving way, _aww hell, how do I get myself into these things? _BA-BAM!!! Ed fell forward onto Jules with a yell as the bedroom door slammed open, allowing three people to march inside, Winry, Al, and a very curious Roy.

"EDWARD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE NO-" Winry stopped mid rant, her eyes falling on the couple on the floor, laid in a compromising position with their eyes opened wide. "Uh huh..." said Roy, raising an eyebrow, "well that explains the loud thump." Al stared at his brother in amazement, looking as though he could hit the floor at any moment; Winry just kept glancing from one shocked face to the other while opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

Ed and Jules stared at the other in absolute shock their eyes the size of dinner plates. With a sudden haste, Juliet threw Ed off of her, wasting no time in darting away towards the bathroom.

Roy wolf whistled appreciatively as he stepped in her way, barring her access to the door, "well, well, well! Aren't we a sexy little thing?" Juliet glowered angrily at him, not appreciating the comment, or the fact that he had ruined her get away. "So, you shorty's girlfriend?" asked the colonel, leaning on the door, his eyes still on Jules.

"NO!!" yelled Jules and Ed in unison (only in Ed's case it was followed by a rant about not being short). "Excellent!" cheered Roy, stepping forward to grab one of Juliet's hands, "then it won't bother you if I take this gorgeous young lady out to dinner!" he kissed her hand swiftly, winking up at her, "what do you say sweetie?"

Jules groaned in disgust, pulling her hand out his grasp, "thanks," she grimaced, "but no thanks, I'm not into older guys!" Roy's mouth fell open while Ed sniggered in the background. "Wha…what?" he gasped indignantly, eyeing her in surprise, "how do you know I'm older than you? I'm only in my mid-twenties thank you very much!!"

"_Cough-_liar_-cough,_" pantomimed Ed, his eyes glistening with laughter. Roy turned on the alchemist and marched straight up to him so his height towered over the guy. "Is that any way to treat your superior Fullmetal??" he bellowed, leaning down. Ed glowered up at him, his eyes looking particularly pissed, "well only if the superior's you, colonel-bastard!"

"DO I LOOK LIKE A BASTARD TO YOU PIPSQUEAK?"

"FOR THE HUNDRETH TIME IM NOT A PIPSQUEAK!!!!"

"TRY SAYING THAT WITHOUT STRAINING YOUR NECK TO SEE MY FACE!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD GET LOST IN A CARPET?!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK??"

"Boys…" warned Winry, her eyes flicking from one to the other while her hands grasped the handle of a wrench, "its getting late, why don't you tone down the argument ok?"

Roy sighed and glanced towards Ed, "she's right pipsqueak (Al clamped a hand over Ed's mouth to sop him retaliating) it is getting late, and I'd better take my leave." He bowed to Winry, "I will be over tomorrow to explain the situation to fullmetal and Ms Henderson. Well, goodnight everyone, I can show myself out." He winked at Jules and turned to go, commenting on Ed's height as he did so.

"Easy Edward…" soothed al, holding his brother away from attacking Roy, "it's not worth it." After a few moments he released his brother although stayed close, noting the aura of anger still pulsating from his form.

Winry glanced towards him, her wrench raised threateningly before the urge to yawn chased all over actions out the door. "Damn I'm sleepy!!" she yawned, tucking away her wrench, "come one al, I wanna get some sleep before my patients arrive tomorrow." She turned to Ed and Jules, her tired eyes fixed in a glare. "Now get to bed! Its only a thin wall between these two rooms, I don't want to hear arguing or whatever it is you two plan to do tonight." Ed and Jules coloured up at the insinuation, looking in any direction except for where the other was stood.

Smirking victoriously, Winry walked out the room and into the one she shared with her husband. After jumping straight into her bed, she looked up to see that al hadn't even stepped into the room. "What's up?" she asked, noticing his serious face, "I was only joking! I mean come on! Did you see the way the were laid when we walked in, there's something going on there!"

Al groaned and rubbed his face, "it was accidental! They barely know each other!!" Winry looked at al sideways, a knowing smirk on her features, "how do you know that? I saw the tension between the two, they're attracted to each other, admit it or not!" al felt like tearing his hair out, why did she suddenly want to play matchmaker? "They can barely look at each other without arguing! If they ever got together they'd kill each other!"

"You don't really believe that now do you al?" Winry asked, "you watch! I bet my toolbox I'm right!" al looked at her for a moment._ Bet her toolbox? _She's_ that certain?_ "Fine!" he sighed, climbing in beside her, "but I still stand by what I said earlier." Winry smiled at him kissed his cheek lightly before turning out her lamp, "night al," "night Winry."

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It was mid morning and birds were singing to their fullest by the time a certain young woman's body decided to wake her up. Jules grumbled blearily, squinting her eyes against the light creeping through the window and the noise from the birds outside. "Somebody tape up their beaks.." she mumbled, opening her eyes once more as she made to get up. It was then that she noticed a strange weight around her waist and on her chest, along with the even breathing somewhere near her shoulder.

She stopped trying to get up and looked down, ever so slowly, dreading what she was going to find. She felt her face colour up when her eyes fell onto the reason of her inability to move.

Edward had, at some point in the night, rolled away from his designated side of the bed into the side Jules was residing in. he then went onto hugging her close, due to the chill from last night thunder storm, one of his arms tucked securely round her waist. Now this she didn't mind, having noticed that she was wrapped in the covers while he wasn't. What she did mind was the fact that despite having one arm around her waist, the other had somehow wound its way under her shirt and onto her breast, his head rested and her shoulder, an unnervingly happy smile on his face.

"Uh Ed?" she choked out, shaking his shoulder gently, "Ed?" no reply, just soft mumbling and tiny squeeze. Jules was beginning to see red. She shook his shoulder once more. "Ed?" she said slightly louder, "ED?!" that woke him up.

Looking slightly disgruntled, Ed opened one eye and looked blearily up at Jules, "wassup?" Jules took a deep breath, mentally fighting the urge to yell. "Ed..." she said calmly as possible, "would you mind removing your hand from under my shirt?" ed looked up at her confusedly, "huh?" he asked, still blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Your hand," repeated Jules, closing her eyes to contain the yell of rage that was tempted to burst forth, "is currently under my shirt."

The look on Ed's face was classic. His eyes widened to full extent as he withdrew his hand like it was on fire, his face looking like a tomato while he jumped as far away from Jules as possible. Jules glared at him from the bed, her eyes promising pain as ed rushed to his chest of draws for his clothes before running out, his face getting brighter by the second._ Oh shit…_his mind screamed, darting into the bathroom and closing the door, _oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!_

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"Morning you two!" chirped Winry, placing bacon and eggs before them, "have a nice sleep?" Ed choked on his juice; hiding is brightening face inside the morning paper. "Pretty good," replied Jules, diving into her eggs, "got a bit cold somewhere in the night but other than that I slept like a log." She glared at Edward who was still trying to hide behind his paper, only ever venturing out when he wanted a bite of his food.

"How about you Ed?" asked Winry, sitting down beside al, "you looked so cozy when I went to wake you both I had to leave you for a bit longer." Now both Ed and Jules spat out their food, their faces rivaling a boiled lobster. Winry smirked evilly at them, the look on her face boding no good. "So what were you two doing last night when we walked in?"

"We've got a visitor!" shouted al, saving Ed and Jules from answering. He walked into the kitchen shortly followed by non other than Roy mustang. "Morning winry, Ms Henderson!" he called, taking a seat next to Jules, "my you look ravishing today!" Jules fought the urge to move away and forced a small smile onto her face, "why hello colonel mustang."

"What are you doing here colonel bastard!" snarled Ed, remembering the colonels short comment from last night. "Ah fullmetal!" laughed Roy, glancing in the blondes direction, "didn't see you there for all the plates and things."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE FALLS DOWN THE PUG HOLE EVRY TIME HE HAS A BATH??" yelled Ed, lunging across the table towards the colonel. "Same old temper I see, " laughed Roy, dodging deftly out of the way, "nice to see you too."

"Just get to the point already colonel," sighed al, almost certain that he was going to get premature grays, "I've had enough arguing in this house to last me four and a half lifetimes!" Roy pouted slightly at having his fun ruined but changed the subject non-the less, slightly perplexed at al's stressed out state.

"Oh yes," stated Roy as though just remembering, "the point!" he turned towards Jules." Ms Henderson, Alphonse has told me that you appeared through a huge gate two days ago am I correct?" Jules nodded quietly while Ed shot his brother a dirty look. "I see," continued Roy, looking serious, "may I ask if you are a resident of Amestris?" Jules giggled slightly and shook her head, "I don't believe that I'm even a resident of this world."

Roy looked quietly towards al and then back at Jules, his face still serious, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to accompany me to central command. The gate is a serious matter when it comes down to it. It's very dangerous and unpredictable. We have to find out why exactly its started throwing people into our world."

"Do I have a choice about this?" asked Jules, looking slightly miffed. Roy grinned, "of course, either you come along on your own free will or I sling you over my shoulder and carry you there. Its your choice although personally I like the second option." Jules sent the man the dirtiest look she could muster.

"She's not going with you alone!" growled Ed, his eyes fixed on Roy, "you'd probably go all pervy the moment she reached the train station." Roy pretended to look insulted, "why fullshorty, I never knew you had such a low opinion of me! (Ed: DON'T CALL ME SHORTY!!) But that doesn't matter since we aren't going alone., mores the pity. You're going to come also."

Ed stopped mid rant and stared at Roy like he'd grown another head. "Come again," asked Ed, as slowly as possible. Roy rolled his eyes, "you, me and Ms Henderson are all going to central. Together." Crickets started chirping as silence draped over the kitchen, all eyes fixed on a certain alchemist who was slowly turning a shade of puce as his incredibly short fuse of patience snapped. "NO WAY IN HELL!!" he yelled, " IM ON VACATION TIME!"

"Cancelled!" sang Roy, looking delighted for some unfathomable reason. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" bellowed Ed, looking like he was about to burst a few blood vessels. "I'm your superior," retorted Roy, "I have the ability to give and take vacation privileges. We need you in central since you know more about the gate than any other alchemist alive!"

Ed looked like he was seriously resisting the urge to all his arm-blade, "conniving bastard!" he growled. "That's colonel bastard to you!" smirked Roy, "now if you don't mind, I'd like to get down to the train station before the 11:30 leaves the station." Ed looked towards the clock and blanched at the time, "but that only gives us half an hour to pack and get down to the station?"

"Better get packing then!" smirked Roy, standing up, "I'll see you both there, and woe betide you if you're late. Goodbye Alphonse, Winry," he said waving to both before walking out the back door. Ed glared at the direction he went, willing the door to burst into flames, "is it any wonder why I hate him so much?" he spat.

"not really," laughed Winry, "although I'd advise you to hurry, you have roughly 25 minutes to down to the station." Ed and Jules shot Winry 'oh shit!' looks and scrambled out of their chairs to go upstairs, getting wedged in the door in their haste. "do you think they'll make t in time?" asked al, his eyes fixed on the bickering pair that were currently suck in the doorway, "because I'm currently having my doubts."

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wooh another long one, i think im on a roll here lol. usual request, please read and review. its much apreciated and it motivates me to write even more.lol. plus it gives me an excuse to tortue ed lol (looks at horrified alchemist) i was only kidding! yeesh! well see ya next chapter, hopefully lol 


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